FROM THE EDITOR Kennedy’s Bakery


EDITORIAL Editor


Kiran Grewal


kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk Features Editor


Suzanne Callander scallander@kennedys.co.uk


Production & Design Marc Miller


ADVERTISING


Business Development Manager


Gary Smythson


gsmythson@kennedys.co.uk 01622 699183


Subscriptions Manager Nic Wood


nic.wood@c-cms.com EVENTS


Gary Smythson


gsmythson@kennedys.co.uk 01622 699183


ACCOUNTS accounts@datateam.co.uk


In our interpack Review (page 10), reporting from Düsseldorf, the Kennedy’s team explored a show floor that reflected an industry increasingly focused on intelligence, connectivity, and efficiency. Across bakery processing, inspection, automation, and packaging, exhibitors demonstrated how data-driven manufacturing is moving from aspiration to reality. Connected production lines, advanced inspection technologies, and engineering- led solutions were recurring themes throughout the week, highlighting how bakeries are seeking greater productivity and greater flexibility in an increasingly demanding market.


What struck me most was the extent to which individual machines are now being viewed as part of a wider ecosystem. Equipment is no longer judged solely on output or speed, but on how effectively it communicates with the rest of the production line, how it contributes to traceability, and how it supports overall operational performance. These themes continue throughout this issue.


In Automated Depositors and Shaping Technology (page 28), we examine how equipment once considered relatively straightforward is becoming a critical point of control for consistency, profitability, and product quality. Likewise, our feature on High-Efficiency Baking Ovens (page 20) explores how the latest generation of thermal processing technology is delivering greater precision, sustainability, and operational flexibility than ever before. We begin to see just how adaptable the bakery production system is becoming, ready to shift and conform to whatever the latest demands are.


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Set up in 1890, Kennedy’s Confection is the longest– established magazine in the trade and is distributed


exclusively worldwide to manufacturers of chocolate, sugar confectionery and bakery products.


Kennedy’s Publications


Part of the Datateam Media Group Media Director Paul Ryder


Spring is also traditionally one of the industry’s most active periods for product development. As consumer habits evolve and manufacturers prepare for the second half of the year, bakery businesses are increasingly looking for opportunities to diversify their portfolios and respond to changing tastes. Our feature on Pizza and Flatbread Production (page 12) reflects this trend, exploring some of the most exciting ingredient innovations and format developments emerging within one of bakery’s fastest-evolving categories.


Packaging remains another area of significant focus. Extending shelf life while maintaining product quality continues to present both technical and commercial challenges, particularly as sustainability expectations grow. In Packaging Solutions (page 34), we look at the technologies and materials helping bakeries navigate this balancing act, protecting products while supporting broader environmental goals. Looking ahead, the industry’s event calendar shows no signs of slowing. On page 40, we preview The PPMA Show 2026, which promises practical solutions to many of the operational challenges manufacturers are currently facing, from automation adoption to workforce development.


Before that however, I am making an extended trip to Canada, where I will be visiting a number of technology and experience centres, interviewing some key figures in the bakery industry and, of course, indulging in BeaverTails and Timbits from Tim Horton’s!


Stay tuned!


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


Kiran Grewal, Editor kgrewal@kennedys.co.uk


APRIL/MAY 2026 • KENNEDY’S BAKERY PRODUCTION • 3 Production


EDITOR’S LETTER T


here are few events in the manufacturing calendar that command the industry’s attention quite like interpack. Taking place only once every three years, it occupies a unique position within the bakery sector, and many other sectors, as a marker of


technological progress. For many suppliers, interpack is the stage on which major innovations are unveiled, where years of research and development are finally presented to the market, and where the future direction of, in this case, bakery production becomes a little clearer.


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